, 1887-11-30
The Burlington Booming Its Way
Into Cheyenne.
How the Work of Construction Is
Done,
And Some of Those Who Are
Engaged In 1t.

SiIlHSuS, luS Coulphuy anu inc eLlcleut
corps of engineer and constructionists.
Yesterday afternoon the derrick and en-
CINE of the Union Pacific were busy tax
ing out the piling and timbers OF the
~tracklayers Of the Cheyenne g. Burlington
to pass underneath the Union Pacific
track.
About l65 men are constantly employ
ed in active operations laying ties and
rails, averaging about two miles per day,
marching forward with offensive demon
STATIONS upon the inertness and monotony
of Cheyenne business. a brief descrip-
ton OF the modus operandi perhaps will
be acceptable.
There is a construction train and a
boarding train. The construction train
carries the ties and rails. A. B. Ross is
chief engineer and inspector and X. A
Powers is in charge of the track laying.
A train of thirty-fou cars is continually
hauling the solid eight foot oak ties from
Missouri and Arkansas, and fOrty-eight
teams hauling aud dumping them by the
81 lie of the track. Ed Dryer is the line
rider and tie hauling boss. Mike Sulli-
van is engineer of the front engine and S.
FL. Hurd of the second engine. VIM.
Barkman is foreman for unloading ties.
Another gang of eight then takes an
other rall and lay its along side, then comes
a man with a marker to span the wide
guage length. Two men with crow bars
to hold the two rails in place. The spite
ers with their screw wrenches, bolts, fish
plates, etc. Each does his part and per-
feet connection is made, the rails sufficient
ly apart to allow for co ntraction and ex
pansion by cold and heat. The bclt, etc,
are dropped at their proper places ready
to hand. Discipline is everything, exa cti-
u Is a SINE quo non to the whole ar
rangement.
The twenty-four spikers then came
along, and with three or four taps of their
long-headed, narrow-faced hammers drive
the spikes home. A relay of spaders
come up. take hold of such ties as do not
reach to the level and dash a spadeful Of
gravel underneath, others fll in the
spaces, ballast tie rails, and the track is
laid So .
Daniel Hood is boss of the track spik-
ers and Frank Willis is foreman of the
telegraph department, assisted by Mr.
Rabb. Mr.. Post, assisted by Messrs.
Livermore and Patterson, is bookkeeper
TO the contractors. H. f. Mixer is CON
ductor for the construction train, with J
U. Mixer, Jake Connors and James
Lewis as brakemen.
Picture to the imagination an excellent
roodbed laid out by engineers and care
fully levelled by spading, with stakes
driven 100 feet apart as guages for laying
the ties. After the engineers and level
er5, come the tie haulers' teams, each car.
ryiGg from rear to front about twelve ties
prepared and in every way ready to be
deposited in proper position, scattered
along the track.
Next comes the bedding of the ties, by
from thirty-five to sevcnty-five men, &C
NOiNlnE " circumstances DOsStu ny HOS.
Jordan, sixteen ties to each 30 feet. A
sufficient number of men, forming the
advance guard of the main body, take
each tie, deposit and adjust it to the pro-
per level Of each stake. These are closely
followed by the main body of the gang.
One batch OF the band lay other ties
at a suff tent distance from the initial
ones, SO that a long level OF straight edge
may straddle them while being placed in
proper position. Then comes another
squad who fill up the spaces. Others
again, with their mauls, picks and shovels,
each contributing his share to the general
quote Of labor necessary for the compile
ton Of the work and reception of the
rails.
Now comes the laying Of the thirty
feet, 5%GO-pouud steel I bands, which bind
the extremes of distance together and
clasp the waist of the continent with the
arm Of progress and civilization. The
engine brings forward the rails as fast as
possible. Immediately after they arrive by
the fourteen platform cars, In charge OF
Chas. Bleckie, foreman of the iron car
and delivery Of rails, they are dumped
and loaded on to the larry car, which
brings them to the front.
A carload of spikes, spices, pigeon
tails, fish plates, ETC., etc, are in like
manner dumped and carried to the front.
The engine and train are then backed up
and 20 back for another load.
Each one of this little regiment of per-
fectly drilled and well organized men at
the word takes his position Eight men
to a rail lay one down on the ties, the
boss casts his eye along, he p]ronounces it
"all right" or if not, the men handle it
round with crowbars, sometimes requiring
a brawny son Of Mars. with shoulders !